


Earth is the humanity's craddle

by Bacner



Series: Stars are cold toys [1]
Category: Ad Astra (2019)
Genre: Allergies, Alternate Universe - post movie, Anti-matter, Clifford McBride was a monster, Earth, F/M, Father-Son Relationships - Freeform, Gen, Helen has echoes of MCU's Raina, Mars, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Neptune, Not a Crossover, SpaceCom, Spoilers, cosmos - Freeform, relationships, space, space travels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 08:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20738885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bacner/pseuds/Bacner
Summary: Post-movie. Roy McBride wakes-up back on Earth after crashlanding there all the way from Neptune. Now what?





	Earth is the humanity's craddle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lila_luscious1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lila_luscious1/gifts).

> Disclaimer: none of the main characters is mine, but belong to Mr. Grey and co.

When Roy opened his eyes, it was daytime. The sun was shining gently through the curtained window of his room, the birds were singing, and there were even fresh flowers in a vase on a table next to his bed. The room itself was both plain and familiar – it was typical of the sanatorium rooms where Roy and his fellow members of Earth’s military recuperated after their missions in space, especially if those missions were especially prolonged and important.

…Roy McBride was technically the second man who had reached the orbit of Neptune from Earth and came back. He had also saved Earth, the humanity, and probably the rest of the Solar System from the Lima experiment. So yes, naturally, he qualified for this sort of high-rank treatment and, well, pampering. However, the fact that Space-Com on the way there revealed to have its’ own agenda and plan as to how deal with Clifford McBride, made Roy wonder, what were they up to now, and why they hadn’t used his black-out and recuperating periods to do… any-thing. Roy had to admit, he wasn’t at his best when it came to back room maneuvering and intrigue, but Space-Com clearly was, right, so what was their next move?

“Sir? You’re awake?” An orderly, smiling in a professionally cheery manner, looked into Roy’s room. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” Roy replied curtly. “What date is it today?”

The orderly told him, still in a professional manner, but then again, why would not he? Astronauts always had problems in figuring time of the day and dates of the weeks, (let alone months and years) after coming from prolonged missions in space. So far, Roy was not any different from them. He could live with that. 

“Sir,” surprisingly, the orderly had not left yet. “There’s a visitor who wants to see you. Can I let her in?”

“Sure,” Roy instinctively replied – aside from Eve, he honestly did not think that there was any woman who wanted to meet him ASAP, unless she also worked for Space-Com, and they were not that big on women. “Send her in.”

The orderly nodded and finally withdrew, leaving the door open. To Roy’s genuine surprise, it was not Eve, who came in, but director Lantas. Unlike their meetings on Mars, the Red Planet’s highest-ranking civilian member wasn’t dressed in her trademark black colors, but in much looser clothing, mostly light pink in color, making her look less like a down-to-business professional, and more like some Hollywood celebrity wannabee, purposefully trying to be inconspicuous. A pair of oversized sunglasses completed the image, all that was missing with a giant fluffy hat with an equally giant feather, and an equally giant feather boa. 

Director Lantas opened her mouth, shifted her head – slowly – in Roy’s direction, and stiffened. She began to frantically shuffle through her purse quickly pulling out an – asthma inhaler…before involuntarily dropping it.

Roy was not big on medicine aside from some first aid training… but this was what was going on down here right now: he quickly grabbed the fallen inhaler and gave it to the director, who hastily grabbed it and began to use it, while Roy gallantly guided her to the nearest armchair in the room. 

“… I really hate this planet,” director Lantas spoke in a voice that suggested that she was only a brief distance away from tears. “The allergies alone can be murder,” she briefly took down her sunglasses, revealing her eyes, red and weeping, (and also framed by some of the most impressive eyelashes that Roy has ever seen, cough). “And also, major, believe me, this isn’t how I wanted this meeting of ours to go.” She put her sunglasses back on, put her inhaler away, (after one last final puff on it), and exhaled. “Major, now that my initial plan is shot to Hell, can you just tell me, honestly. Did you see them on the Lima ship? Did you see my parents?” she asked, sounding oddly small and vulnerable for such a collected and formidable woman that Roy remembered from his stay on Mars. 

Roy opened his mouth, remembered that this still was classified information and realized that he did not care about that aspect of this situation. Space-Com were ready to cut him out of the mission and to screw him over for their personal reasons. If it was not for the woman that was currently sitting across from him, things would have turned out very differently, and probably not for the better; he was not blaming Cepheus’ initial crew, but he owed director Lantas, pure and simple, and he wasn’t going to deny it.

“Yes,” he replied simply. “I saw them. All the dead crewmembers, just floating there in the zero gravity. It… was not the first time when I saw dead people in space, but even if you are there, you got to pay them last respects and send them on their final way, it… is only human. My father… he just left them there, floating around. He… claimed to have cataracts in his eyes, but I… do not know. He might’ve become insane enough not to realize truth from lies anymore, but I… don’t think that it changes anything…” he trailed away.

“It never does,” director Lantas said quietly, as she reached out and touched Roy on his arms, however shyly. “You did your best to live up to his legend, to your own legend, but he… didn’t deliver.”

“Mmm, not the word that I would use,” Roy looked down at her hand. It was warm, almost hot, and surprisingly delicate, and was clearly human. Her nails were dyed pink and done professionally. Considering that Roy had not had much human contact ever since Eve left him – weeks be-fore the Lima began to discharge – he really did not need anything at all. “Director Lantas? Why are you here?”

“For the same reason you’re here, Major McBride,” the woman did not pull her hand away. “I’m also testifying in court for my part in the events that have shaken our society and our Solar System for the last few months.”

Roy very carefully thought this over. “This won’t be fun,” he finally admitted, as the words ‘testifying in court’ created some unpleasant mental images for him.

“It’s not what you think – or rather, not exactly how you’re presuming,” director Lantas replied carefully. “Please, sit down – I’ll make you an Irish coffee.”

“…You don’t look very Irish,” Roy blinked, as he reluctantly released her and sat down onto his own seat.

“From my father’s side – it’s a complex mess, and I don’t want to raise it right now,” Helen pur-sued her lips as she began to work with the cups and shot glasses located on the table. “But to get my story on track, yes, Space-Com would’ve wanted to make you the scapegoat of their mess, right along with your father, but it is out of their hands. UN and its’ Security Council are taking charge of it personally.”

“I- we’ll be testifying before the UN Security Council?” Roy stared.

“Major McBride, what part of me telling you that you have saved us all don’t you understand? I was telling this in a very literal meaning,” Roy’s interlocutrix did not back down. “I don’t know much about the anti-matter that fuels our great space ships, only the basics, for they are not part of my job, but since you’ve left Mars for Neptune, everyone learned that once anti-matter begins to go off, it does so in increasing interments until it explodes in the biggest one yet, and it was prognosed that when it happens to the anti-matter on your father’s ship, it would reach the sun, destroying everything and everyone in its’ path.” She paused and added, for further emphasis. “And because of Space-Com covering its’ collective ass and everything, by the time Cepheus had left Mars for Neptune was you onboard on you were far enough along in space and time to reach the Lima before the last explosion went off. You’d been humanity’s only hope back then, period.”

Roy blinked and thought this over. Then he thought some more. He thought about director Lantas’ revelations. He did not like the potential for what would have happened if he had not blown the Lima up. Then he thought about it some more.

“I’m not the biggest specialist on anti-matter either,” he finally admitted. “I’m an astronaut, not a demolitions specialist. However, I vaguely remember learning in the military academy that anti-matter and nuclear explosions can be tricky-“

“Yes, well, you actually did get lucky too,” his interlocutrix admitted slyly as she handed Roy his Irish coffee. “The bulk of the blast was aimed away from you and the Cepheus, and the remainder was still powerful enough to send you flying through space towards Earth on a cruising speed; though Neptune is more than twice as far away from Earth than Mars is, you’ve reached Earth very fast; I think that the news claim that it is some sort of a record-? You all right?”

“This is real whiskey,” Roy blinked and stared at his cup of Irish coffee. 

“Yes,” Helen Lantas replied. “It is. You did not know-“

“I did. I do. It’s just it’s been so long since I had any,” Roy looked away, trying to find a less uncomfortable topic of conversation. “If, uh, the remainder, as you say, director Lantas, was enough to send me home so quickly, then the rest of it went where?”

“Somehow – and I personally believe that you will be asked about it during your testimony about the details – you managed to rotate your father’s ship around so that the primary blast went away from Earth in the direction of Neptune and its’ moons,” came the reply.

“…Neptune has moons?” Roy blinked as he tried to picture in his mind – back when he was doing all of that he was not quite in his right mind anymore and was just trying to survive and not fall apart as his father had.

“Yes, the question of whether it still has them or just had them in the recent past is in the air, and not just metaphorically,” Helen winced in sympathy. “Neptune is an ice planet, unlike Earth; it is unknown what a joint anti-matter/nuclear explosion would do to it, but, fortunately for it at that moment in time its’ moons were situated between it and the Lima, so they blocked the explosion. Sort of.”

Roy thought this over. He did not remember seeing any of Neptune’s moons back then, but then again, he had much important concerns on his mind on all the levels. And now… “So, does Neptune still have moons?” he rephrased his question.

“With all the dust in the air, literally speaking, none of telescopes on Earth, Moon or Mars can’t tell, and radioscopes aren’t better off either,” his interlocutrix sounded oddly proud for some reason. “Gran-gran and bro-bro tell me that after all the metaphorical dust settles on Earth, Earth will send forth some spacecraft there to investigate. Mind you, robot drones will probably operate at least the first ones instead-“

“Gran-gran and bro-bro?” Roy could not help but to ask. Director Lantas’ cheeks turned the color of her clothing, only darker. 

“Yes, well, I have family, both here and back home on Mars,” she muttered, scuffling the plush velvety carpet with her shoe. “I’m really the only one who doesn’t come here because of a variety of reasons, including those darn allergies-“

“Don’t worry about them, you still look lovely!”

…There was a pause as Roy realized that he did not pick-up an echo here, but rather there was a newcomer on the scene. “Major McBride?” Director Lantas squeaked, her face burning, “this is my brother, Grant Douglas. Bro-bro – uh, brother? Major McBride here-“

“-is the man who had saved us all, sister, I know,” the man whom Roy had met few times when his injuries needed some special treatment, replied, even as he thrust some sort of a strawberries-and-cream concoction towards the woman in question. “Major, it is an honor to meet you in person.”

“The honor is all mine, colonel,” Roy told the other man, even as Helen took the concoction and put it onto the table, clearly affected. “Me and director Lantas were having a conversation here-“

“Yes, so I heard,” the other man nodded solemnly, “and I loathe to interrupt, but since my sister is clearly acclimating properly to Earth’s climate and atmosphere at last, and you are clearly on a path of recovery, can we have doctors examine you later today to check how you are fit to ap-pear and testify before the court?”

“Of course, I’m as fit as a fiddle,” Roy thumped his chest and took a big gulp of the Irish coffee that Helen made earlier. It was a really big gulp, so the coughing fit that followed was also a big one.

“I can see that,” the other man’s smile was not mocking, more like gently teasing. “Major, again, it is an honor to meet you – hopefully, we will meet in the future you some more.” He gave a salute, turned around smartly and left the room.

“So, this is your brother?” Roy thoughtfully told Helen. “So, you’re related to those Lantas-“

“I,” the other woman immediately got some of her old character back, “am my own woman. I was the daughter of Rachel and Anthony Tripp. My mother was the smartest person that I have ever knew. My father was not always my biological father, perhaps, but he was still my father, he was always fast with advice and humor. When the great Dr. McBride chose them to be a part of his crew – my mother was the best darn botanist of her class and a prodigy – and they left with him to seek other life on other planets – I was so darn proud. And then, I learned the truth as to what happened on the Lima, what your father has done to them, what he apparently was going to do to all of us…” She looked away. “I am my own woman, Major McBride; I may be no heroes with medals on my uniform, but I am still the facility director of Mars; I made myself by myself and need no great family to sponsor me; I was one of the most important people in the Martian society and bow to no one; I actually help my mother’s family and I help the Martian lobby on Earth…and your father was going to sweep it all away alongside everything and everyone else, with nary a consideration or concern or- or even intention-”

“Yes,” Roy spoke up, startling director Lantas into silence. “He was. And he was wrong. He was always wrong. There is no life on other planets, not for any coherent reason, but just because this is how it is, how things are,” he looked away. “He didn’t care. He could not accept it. He threw away everything – my mother’s smile, the laughter of- of children, everything, all that makes us human in order to forever soar in the cold dead desert of space. He sought life. Somehow, this translated into him turning away from the Sun and all that made us human, makes us alive…” he trailed away.

“I had no idea that you would save us all when I helped you get onto the Cepheus,” Helen sat down next to him. “I just- I just wanted you to meet your father again, to have closure with him – it’s kind of a big deal in our family, closure, I have to admit. I just- I just hoped that when you meet him, you‘d discover the truth about my parents too, and – just do something. I did not know what I was doing; I just…made a choice.”

“And you enabled me to save everyone,” Roy nodded. “Thank you. My father… he was my father. If he was not, he would be a- a fucking asshole. I should have probably subdued him and brought him back to Earth. I could not. He was my father. He has made his choice. He fought me hand and foot to remain in space – forever. I let him go.” He trailed away. Oh dear, looks like he had picked up something in space – his heart was beating definitely more than 80 beats per second – maybe he should call a doctor.

Helen Lantas sat down next to him and leaned onto him, and her short curtly hair ticked his jaw-line and nose. Suddenly all the anger that Roy felt towards his father ever since their final meeting at Neptune, has vanished. His father was gone in body – maybe it was more than appropriate time to let him go in spirit for good.

“Director Lantas,” he whispered quietly into her ear, and it was a very nicely shaped ear too. “Want to walk around, heading to the doctors in question via the scenic route? I mean, maybe you can tell me as to why you have been summoned to testify and about what?”

And Helen Lantas just turned once again this very nice shade of red and sneezed.

Darned allergies.

End


End file.
